Coleman Award for Excellence in Community Service

Announcing the 2023 Coleman Award Winners

The Institute of Politics is pleased to announce the 2023 Coleman Award winners – Christine McClure and Jim Roddey. We celebrated their work at a special dinner that took place at the Senator John Heinz History Center on Thursday, November 16, 2023 as part of the Institute’s Regional Progress Forum. To learn more about that program, please visit the Regional Progress Forum page.

Introduction

The University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics recognizes that the collective identity of any region is largely demonstrated by the overall values and priorities embraced by the people who live there. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, we place significant value on individuals who have a strong commitment to serve the region. To honor one of our community’s greatest civic servants and to recognize those who have followed in his path, the Institute of Politics created the Morton “Moe” Coleman Award for Excellence in Community Service.

2023 Awardees

Dr. Christine McClure
Senior Research Scientist of Health Policy and Management | University of Pittsburgh
Adjunct Professor and Dissertation Mentor | University of Miami

Dr. Christine McClure is a Senior Research Scientist of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh and an Adjunct Professor and Dissertation Mentor at the University of Miami. Dr. McClure earned her bachelor’s degree in health services administration and MBA from Point Park University and her master’s degree in public policy management and doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dr. McClure is an expert in disparities research and an experienced qualitative researcher whose research interests include the intersectional experiences of women of color in various contexts including higher education, healthcare, public health, and child welfare to inform the creation of more equitable spaces, policies, and practices.     

Dr. McClure is dedicated to community engagement and service and currently serves as the Board Chair for When She Thrives, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to equip single mothers to move their families from poverty to prosperity.  Dr. McClure also serves the community through organizations including, Strong Women Strong Girls, PA Women Work, the Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Program at Robert Morris University, EmployHer Pittsburgh, and Multiplying Good Pittsburgh. Dr. McClure is also a member of the American Council on Education Women’s Network, Women’s Leadership Council, the Point Park Alumni Council, the Child Well-Being Research Network, and the ChangeMakers board for Multiplying Good Pittsburgh.

While Dr. McClure is proud of her professional and educational accomplishments, her most rewarding roles include daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

James C. Roddey
Former County Executive | Allegheny County

James C. Roddey has a career that spans decades, sectors, and states. After working in the communications industry in Atlanta, including a stint as the president and COO of Turner Communications Corporation, Roddey moved to Pittsburgh where he launched and subsequently sold a number of start-up firms.

During that time, he became active in Pittsburgh’s nonprofit sector, serving on at least 40 nonprofit or municipal boards, 15 as president or chair. He is an emeritus trustee of the University of Pittsburgh and has served on the boards of UPMC, the United Way of SWPA, WQED, Pittsburgh Public Theater, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, ALCOSAN, and RiverQuest. He has also served on the boards of five foundations.

In 1998, Roddey was elected as the first county executive in Allegheny County after helping to shape a new structure for the county’s government that replaced the three-member county commissioner model with one that included a county executive and council.

In 2020, Roddey started a podcast, “Heroes,” in partnership with the Andrew Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, which features interviews with first responders and those in service to the community. 

Roddey was born in Asheville, NC, and graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in communications. Following his graduation, he spent nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he earned the rank of Captain. He and his wife Elin have two children, and his family includes three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren (triplet boys).

History of the Coleman Award

The purpose of the Coleman Award is twofold. It creates a lasting tribute to the Institute’s founding director, Moe Coleman, for the substantial and enduring contributions he has made to the Southwestern Pennsylvania region in the areas of public policy and governance, education, health and human services, and human equity. The award also recognizes elected and nonelected community leaders who, by personal example and sustained generosity, have made a significant impact in the region. Nominees for this award should be outstanding individuals whose leadership and efforts have advanced the quality of life enjoyed by the citizens of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Learn more.

Award Criteria

The award recognizes and honors an exceptional individual who makes community service a way of life. This individual must exemplify the best in community service through a sense of caring and responsibility for others and must do so in a way that connects citizens and solves community problems.

Specifically, the honoree is an individual who, over a sustained period of time:

• Gives freely and unselfishly of his or her time to community activities;
• Inspires others to serve and acts as a role model;
• Creates connections in the community that enhance coordination and collaboration in solving our region’s challenges;
• Has a positive impact upon the direction and success of community projects, programs or individuals; and
• Improves the lives of others.

To be eligible for the award, an individual must demonstrate significant and lasting contributions to the community beyond what is expected as a part of his or her professional life and/or demonstrate service to the community through participation on boards, volunteerism, and other activities that lie outside the scope of his or her current career.

Past Coleman Award Honorees

Please note that the titles and organizations listed reflect the positions held by awardees when they received the award.